BRIAN

Brian Watanabe wrote THE ROGUES GALLERY, which turned into the oddball cult film OPERATION: ENDGAME starring Rob Corddry, Maggie Q, and Zack Galifianakis. He’s developed scripts for production companies at Fox and Sony, is an award winning advertising copywriter, and doesn’t live in his mom’s basement, despite previously writing about Star Trek, Star Wars and film nerds.

Chick Flick.

That was my first thought when someone, long ago, insisted I watch THE PRINCESS BRIDE. I mean, really? For a prepubescent boy, there was nothing remotely interesting about that title. Princesses? Brides? Pass.

Inconceivable cast reunion interview & photos from Entertainment Weekly

And I wasn’t alone. Back in the day, when I was a summer fun group leader, they popped in THE PRINCESS BRIDE VHS during movie-time for our 5th & 6th graders. One of the more precocious girls walked up to me with that sassy, 6th grader attitude and asked, “What is this?” I guess she didn’t like the title either.

Here’s the problem. Maybe we didn’t like it because we didn’t know that THE William Goldman wrote the film. THE William Goldman who wrote BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN. THE Academy Award winning William Goldman. THE William Goldman widely regarded as one of the best screenwriters of all time. What can I say, we didn’t have the Internet back then, we had encyclopedias.

So of course we didn’t know that THE PRINCESS BRIDE was based on THE William Goldman novel. In Goldman’s book “Four Screenplays,” he talked about how he would make up stories for his two daughters, seven-year old Jenny and four-year old Susanna. He asked them what they wanted one of their stories to be about. One said “princesses” and the other said “brides.” So I guess we can blame them.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film, the Alamo Drafthouse is releasing Princess Bride Wine.

Would it have helped if we knew that Rob Reiner directed the film? THE Rob Reiner who directed THIS IS SPINAL TAP, STAND BY ME, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, A FEW GOOD MEN and – a personal favorite – THE SURE THING with John Cusack. Probably not. Princesses. Brides. It sounded like a lot of flowers and soft focus shots of pink taffeta, and at the time, I wasn’t into it.

Then I watched it. And I fell in love. True love.

Nobody told me this movie had pirates and giants, Cliffs of Insanity and Lighting Sands, six-fingered swordfights and a battle of wits. Nobody told me there would be poison and revenge and Rodents of Unusual Sizes. Nobody told me Kevin from THE WONDER YEARS thought this was a chick flick too.

Turns out Kevin and I, and even that 6th grade girl from summer fun, were all wrong. Without this film, how else would the world know that you should never get involved in a land war in Asia? That “mostly dead” is actually “slightly alive”? That Thibault cancels out Capa Ferro but not Agrippa and you always use Bonetti’s Defense on rocky terrain?

This past week, they showed THE PRINCESS BRIDE on the big screen at the Consolidated Theatres Hana Hou Picture Show, a monthly revival of classic movies here in Hawaii. The show was sold out. And while the draw was nostalgia, the audience quickly remembered why they fell in love with this film in the first place: the memorable quotes, the sharp-witted dialogue, the brilliant performances. 490 people. Men and women. Old and young. Chicks AND dudes. Laughing, cheering and applauding together.

It was, well, magical.

As magical as the Dread Pirate Roberts. As magical as the idea that true love is the greatest thing in the world – except for a nice mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich. As magical as a sassy 6th grader, slowly surrendering to the 20-inch screen, quietly watching THE PRINCESS BRIDE for the very first time.

As I walked out of the theater and weaved my way through the crowd, I overheard a 20-something, bearded hipster say, “That was one of my all time favorite movies.”

I can’t say I blame him.